Beyond Fanelia's Borders
by Casa Circe
Summary: ESCAFLOWNE WEEK 2016 Day One: Girl on Gaea. The world she knew was reverting back to the way it was supposed to be. And yet, even as wounds healed, some things had changed and Merle realized that her wishes had evolved.


**ESCAFLOWNE WEEK 2016, Day 1: GIRL ON GAEA**

 _ **Beyond Fanelia's Borders**_

 **NOTE: First fanfic of 2016!**

 **And since this is the first Escaflowne Week, I could not miss it, even if I wasn't really able to prepare much in advance.**

 **Since we are allowed to interpret the prompts in our own ways, I opted to make this about Merle and not Hitomi. After all, it could have been about any girl on Gaea, I suppose, and in this case, it could be Cat-Girl on Gaea.**

 **I've grown to appreciate Merle's character as I've gotten older and I feel that she needs more love in the fandom. And I've always loved that image of her in the opening sequence where she gazes wistfully out her window. So that's the inspiration for this short piece.**

 **I always felt that she needed to have her own story, no longer attached to Van's and that when she grew older, she would become independent enough to find her own way around the world. So this is an attempt at that. You might as well sing "Belle (Reprise)" to this because it fits so well.**

 **I'm hoping to post at least one short thing every day for this week so here's the first entry.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Merle sighed as she gazed thoughtfully out her window, contemplating the night sky with a sigh. It had been so long since she had enjoyed such a simple pleasure, having her own room at last and her own window to gaze out of. Time to herself was also a luxury she had missed, and now she was making the most of this first night of true freedom.

The rehabilitation efforts on Fanelia had progressed faster than any had suspected, with the survivors putting in a lot of effort to raise a new country from the ruins of war. Considerable help had also arrived from Asturia and even Freid, as Van Fanel's friends eagerly showed their support for the kingdom who had suffered the most from the war with Zaibach.

Loyal to a fault, Merle did all she could to help her dear friend, not just rebuild his kingdom and their home, but also stay distracted from the recent departure of the girl he loved. She knew how painful their sudden separation had been so she was determined not to remind Van too much about it by keeping him as busy as possible.

Every now and then she even found herself thinking about Hitomi, who had become her friend in the end and who she had been sorry to lose.

"I wonder what she's up to now?" Merle would think, "and whether she thinks of us at all?"

The cat-girl was certain that the girl from the Mystic Moon thought as much about the king of Fanelia as he did of her. So there was that comfort, at least.

But Merle was heavily involved in everything from planning new structures to tending to the needs of individual citizens of Fanelia. There was so much to be organized. And she proved up to the task.

Merle took to the work with diligence and eagerness, her determination and energy serving as an inspiration to those around her. She was a quick decision maker and a keen observer. Having lived in Fanelia all her life, she knew exactly what would suit the land and its people. And despite her youth, she had first-hand experience of the war that gave her a certain authority over serious matters. And so many people deferred to her when it came to discussing how to negotiate with the Asturian allies or who among Allen Schezar's crew could be relied upon for certain tasks. The intrepid cat-girl had acquired a reputation of being competent and dependable in times of crisis. And Van could not be prouder of her, his oldest friend, who had proven yet again that she was invaluable.

This new, public acknowledgment of her merits and the general appreciation of people for her was refreshing to Merle and she often found herself blushing at the amount of well-deserved praise she received. People were being so kind, and she was glad to see that in this respect, the world was slowly recovering from the ravages of war. More green things grew on the land now, and the lakes and rivers seemed to have been cleansed of all blood and filth. The world she knew was reverting back to the way it was supposed to be.

And yet, even as wounds healed, some things had changed. Not just around her but within her as well. Finally having the time to reflect on her new circumstances, Merle realized that some of her wishes had evolved. For the longest time, she had been content to live in Fanelia, as long as she remained by Van's side and life was untroubled by dreadful things like war or destruction. She had led a limited but blissful existence.

But the events of the recent past had forced her to broaden her worldview. She had had to flee her native land and in doing so, she had explored other countries, and even met a girl from another world. She had seen so much during their travels together and now, just as she was beginning to get settled back into her old life, she was seized with a restless longing.

No longer would she be content to remain only in Fanelia and never venture beyond its borders. There was so much out there and she knew that she had only caught a glimpse of the world's infinite wonders. And since the war was over, now was the ideal time to go forth and have adventures of her own, without too much to fear. She had gotten a taste of the wide world, and she longed for more.

But one could not launch one's self haphazardly into the unknown. There would be preparations to be made, farewells to be said. But as a plan emerged in her head, Merle grew more determined to take charge of her destiny. She was itching to be on the road again, and now that she knew that Fanelia was significantly on the mend, she could risk leaving it behind. She would always return, of course, because no matter what happened, this was her home.

But for now, the world beyond was calling to her and she was eager to be on her way.


End file.
